?Reality? shows have exploded on television screens around the world. Thelatest ?hot commodity? dominating television programming these shows havecaptured astonishing viewer ratings. While a decade ago MTV?s Real Worldinaugurated this genre of programming ? accentuating a voyeuristic gazeamong audiences and an exhibitionistic streak among participants ? in thelast two years it has moved from being a fad to become a staple ontelevision lineups. US television, for instance, has focused on creatingever more (apparently) unscripted ?human experiment? type shows, at theexpense of other genres such as the prime time serial. Journalisticaccounts indicate that audiences are either riveted by what theirsupporters describe as compelling insights into the human condition, orfind them boring and unattractive. Given the voyeuristic impulse of thisgenre and the vastly divergent responses it evokes, we seek to use thecriticism and commentary section to highlight gender as a crucial variablein this phenomenon.The economics of ?reality television? production ? cheap telly - mightexplain why programmers rely on them to capture the ?ideal? youth audience.But what accounts for their popularity with viewers? Among the manyquestions which are thrown up by the preponderance of ?housemate? showssuch as Big Brother and Survivor, as well as the more traditional datingshows, are: do these shows reflect changing social mores, especially ofrelationships between women and men who meet as strangers? When a nation ofviewers selects the ideal mate for a contestant, what does this practicesignify? Does the prevalence of these shows alter modern conceptions ofheterosexual romance, and do viewer preferences reinforce or challengetraditional stereotypes about the ideals of femininity and masculinity? Whydo the embarrassment and humiliation that are an important part of theformat of such shows enthrall audiences and are there gendered dimensionsto this phenomenon? One producer asserts that the shows appeal to a?female-oriented audience and the females want to see the romance.? Is theubiquity of this genre on prime-time schedules an industry acknowledgement,albeit tacitly, of the significance of the female viewer or are women beingcynically targeted for what they are worth to the advertisers? Does thepopularity of Queer Eye for a Straight Guy herald a new openness to gaymale identity or does it recapitulate gay stereotypes packaged in a newformat? Television programming?s ability to cross national and culturalborders has long been acknowledged by scholars. What sense then can wemake of the international popularity of this brand of programming? Doesthe makeover mania that is a running thread in these shows alert us to newtransnational practices of body regulation? Overall, does this genre ofprogramming herald new conceptions of public and private spheres?We are seeking short papers which address any aspect of gender and realitytelevision, along the lines of our interests identified above but otherfoci will also be warmly embraced. We are interested in exploring the formsof cultural citizenship these programs enable and the specific modalitiesthrough which the shows recode civic and social rituals. We also inviteessays that explore how this particular form of documentary, thefly-on-the-wall gaze, has rewritten televisual representational practices.Through a focus on gender we want to render visible what these modernfables connote about contemporary society and gender roles.

If you would like to discuss submitting a contribution to this volume,please email us at:

k.ross_at_coventry.ac.uksmoorti_at_odu.edu

We look forward to receiving your essays. Please pass on this CFP toanyone you think might be interested in contributing. As always, pleasefeel free to submit book or film reviews which you think would be ofinterest to the FMS readership.